


Five Universes

by PossiblyPJ



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Angst, Harry Potter AU, M/M, Pacific Rim AU, Turtle AU, but not too much Angst, the warnings only apply to one section, zombie apocalypse AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-17
Updated: 2014-03-06
Packaged: 2018-01-12 19:08:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1196196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PossiblyPJ/pseuds/PossiblyPJ
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My fill for the RageHappy Secret Santa 2013. The original prompt simply asked for ‘angsty bottom lads’, so I ran that through with my own style. The result: several AU bits, each with a different spin for different tastes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Harry Potter

Ray let out a shaky sigh as he hurriedly made his way across the courtyard. Anxiety twisted his stomach as he gave another glance at his pocket watch. There was no way in hell that he would make it to class on time. He’d lose Slytherin house points for sure. At least he’d earned half of them, if anyone gave him crap Ray would just have to shove that fact in their face.

Professor Underscore had let his Charms class out early, so Gavin and Ray had taken the opportunity to hang out by the lake until they could snatch Ryan away once the Ravenclaws got out of Herbology. The older boy had enjoyed the surprise though, so Ray supposed that made his tardiness worth it. Seeing two of your boyfriends after sitting through one of Professor Mahogany’s rambles would perk up anyone’s afternoon. The three of them had stood under one of the many trees present on the grounds, simply chatting about their days as Ryan kept up a small flame to keep the oncoming winter chill at bay. Time had gotten away from them, and only seeing the students in the distance walking towards the Groundskeeper’s hut prompted them to check the time.

Ray suddenly halted his hurried steps. He looked down at the book he carried. God dammit. He still had his Charms book. That’d do him a load of good in Divination. Now he had to take even more time to switch his books out in the dorms before he could make it to his class.

Swiftly changing directions, he pivoted to the right. He’d be sprinting at this point, but there were other students who didn’t have class at the moment lingering around. Nothing draws attention like a student running through a populated area. His green and silver scarf already gave away that he should be in class at the moment.

Ray, still distracted by his book, didn’t notice the small group of people until he’d run into one of them. His butt hit the ground and Ray only just managed to save The Standard Book of Spells from a similar fate.

“Oh, sorry dude.” Ray said. He looked up at the boy he’d collided with. Gryffindor, all of them, if the scarves weren’t to lead astray. Made sense, Ray knew that this was Michael’s free period.

“Watch where you’re going, Slytherin.” Oh, God. One of those people. Ray thought that the last of them had graduated out a few years ago.

He stood to his feet, letting out a soft sigh as he brushed the dust off of his robes.

“If you’ll excuse me.” Ray said, taking a step to go around the four other students. He then retracted as one of lead boy’s goons moved to block the way.

Ray really hoped that this wasn’t going where it looked like it was going. Maybe they just wanted to make it clear that it was cool, that they understood that it was an accident?

“Where do you think you’re going?” Welp, Mr. Bumped-into had his wand in his hand. Shit just got real. Ray fidgeted with his book in attempts to draw attention away from his free hand reaching into his pocket.

“Tarantallegra!” The dancing feet spell, seriously? This guy had no class.

“Protego!” Ray quickly responded, causing the charm to dissipate. Best to handle this as non-violently as possible. “Expelliarmus!” He smirked as the boy’s wand flew and hit the distant wall; however, that moment was short lived as the other three began to pull out their own wands.

“What do you fuckers think you’re doing?” Oh, hey. Geoff was now standing behind Ray. The group didn’t look as sure of themselves anymore.

“Not so tough once the odds get evened, huh?” Jack was there too. Ray felt significantly better about the situation now. There was nothing like having your boyfriends to back you up.

To his relief, the Gryffindors promptly turned and swiftly walked away.

“Yeah, you better run you fucking cowards!” With half his mind, Ray hoped that no teachers were around. The last thing Geoff needed was another detention for his cursing.

“You okay, Ray?” Jack put his arm around the shorter boy’s shoulders, pulling him into a loose embrace.

“I’m fine. I was ready to place a beat-down on their asses.”

“Yeah, we know.” Geoff offered. “We just don’t like people messing with our boyfriends.”

“I hope I get see what happens when Michael finds out about that.” Jack said with a grin. “Or better yet, I hope we get it on film.” Ray chuckled along with them before he remembered something.

“Oh, shit.” He groaned, pulling out his watch once more. He was so late.

“Come on,” Geoff said, pushing Ray until he began walking, “We’ll walk you to class.”


	2. Turtles

Gavin looked on from his position on his rock. He liked his rock. The light was more intense on it, and the heat gathered nicely to warm his shell. It was a good rock.

The others would probably like the rock, too. There was plenty of more room to fit some other turtles. At least Michael and Ray. The others might be too big.

Where were the others? Gavin carefully moved his head around, trying to catch sight of one of his mates. No one was by the water bowl. No one at the food bowl either.

There was Michael! He was a little ways away, but Gavin was sure the trip would be worth it to have someone to share his special rock with. Slowly, as a turtle does, he made his first step closer to the edge of the rock. Michael was gonna love the rock just as much as Gavin did.

He reached the edge and slowly extended his leg to touch the mulch floor. It wasn’t as big of a drop as Gavin had previously thought it to be. That made him happy. He was able to carefully flop down onto the ground and continue the way over to his mate.

At this point Michael had noticed the other turtle heading toward him. To Gavin’s delight, he’d begun to make his own way towards Gavin, and thus, closer to the rock.

Gavin thought about the rock to pass the travel time away. There was so much to do with another turtle there to do it with you. They could soak up the warmth together, take a nap, and maybe even bump noses. He and Michael were gonna have such a great time.

Wait, Michael had stopped moving. He simply stood there, looking a bit confused. Gavin just kept on going, he was perfectly fine with making the rest of the trip. It’d be well worth it to see his boy.

Gavin bumped into something. That was quite confusing. What had he run into? Once more he tried to step towards Michael, who was only a short distance away now. His nose bumped into something that did not seem to exist.

What was this strange barrier? Did it not want the two of them to be together?

Now Gavin could see that Michael appeared to be having a similar issue. The other turtle’s face was pressing against a separate thing unseen, located a little way past the one Gavin was dealing with. Now that he thought about it, he’d never been to the area where Michael was standing. The turtles usually didn’t move around too much, most of them grouped around each other and not wandering far.

Once more, he took look a look around. No other turtle could be seen from his position. How unusual. Gavin had never been without the other turtles in his sight. When had they left?

Michael had now laid down. Gavin copied him, figuring that he might as well get cozy, even if it wasn’t quite the same as his rock. He couldn’t help but wonder what was wrong. Where has everyone gone? Were they ever going to come back?

Gavin and Michael simply continued looking at each other from their distances, sharing sad, confused looks.


	3. Zombie Apocalypse: Part 1

Michael looked around as they walked through deserted streets. He’d rather not look at the ruin that surrounded them, but it wouldn’t due for the six to be caught off guard. It’d already happened once, Michael thought, glancing at Gavin. All of them would make share that it wouldn’t happen again.

A few weeks after the whole mess had began, a few zombies had managed to break into the building they were using for cover. They’d taken them down eventually, but not before one of them had ripped into Gavin’s arm with its sharp, disgusting fingernails. The wound had since festered and gained a horrid coloring, yet there was nothing they could do to make it any better. The arm was strapped up tightly with bandages, hiding the sight and keeping any more dirt and grime away from it. The pain, however, couldn’t be helped at all. The usually vibrant man, now repressed some, had gained little rest since the incident. The other five weren’t much better off, too worried to calm themselves for resting.

There wasn’t much else to do trek onwards. It was that or sit around and wait to become another victim of the horrible mess. Where they were going, no one knew. Perhaps they would find other survivors, maybe stumble upon some community where the apocalypse hadn’t spread yet. A cure may be found someday, or maybe the human race would simply we wiped out in a mass execution by the undead.

“We better start looking for a place to camp.” Geoff said. Michael looked at the sun, about a quarter way left to go before it hit the horizon. No one wanted to be caught out after dark, and who knew how long it would take them to find a suitable place.

They began to try the doors of nearby buildings. None of the tall skyscrapers would be safe enough, it’d be insanity to check each floor and room. They kept to the ones only a few stories high, enough to keep them off the ground yet open to escape. Quick searches yielded whether the building was in good enough condition to spend the night in, determining factors being how sturdy the structure remained and how easily they could defend themselves.

Tonight they would stay in what used be a two-story bar. The search showed the building to be clear, and there were even a few scavengable food items from the storage rooms. What team really wanted, however, was actually still located under the bar counter.

Jack and Ray had spread their few blankets in the large, upstairs room while the others searched through shelves and storage. With a hammer and nails they’d stripped the table tops from their stands, attaching them securely against the windows and doors. It was always a pain to get out of the building when morning came, but it was well worth it to keep other things out throughout the night.

Once they were settled, Michael listened as Jack talked them through what they were going to do and they fell into their places. Gavin, quite nervously and with a few soft, anticipating inhales, laid down on the floor in one of the currently empty corners of the room. Ray slipped his legs under the other man’s head, softly stroking the dirty hair as a method of comfort. Michael himself and Geoff knelt on either sides of Gavin’s legs, softly placing their hands on them until they were needed. Jack assumed a similar position by the bandaged arm with Ryan taking the healthier one.

The bandages were slowly stripped away from the infected skin. Michael couldn’t help but scrunch up his nose as the stench of infection grew more noticeable. Jack carefully began uncovering the putrid skin. The flesh and exposed muscle had decayed into a worse state, having taken on an acidic green and brown motley of colors. The edges of the ripped skin had shriveled into a leathery, hard-looking texture; in contrast, the middle area was passively seeping a disgusting fluid that had stained the old bandages.

Ray, only removing one hand from Gavin’s head, promptly handed Jack a towel, one of the few clean ones that had been found around the building. Gavin winced as the cloth was gently draped across his arm, and Michael, along with Geoff and Ryan, slid to grasp onto their assigned limbs. With a steadying exhale, Jack placed his hand over the tell and applied pressure.

Gavin’s chest jerked up as he let out a harsh hiss from the pain. Ryan’s grip held true, saving the man from further harm because of his body’s natural reactions. Jack continued to press along the area of the wound, trying to soak up as much of the residue as he could in one go, using as much of the area of the towel as he was able. Michael ran his hand along Gavin’s thigh, attempting to offer comfort. The worst part had yet to come.

Removing the towel proved the wound to be fairly dry, at least for the moment. Gavin was allowed a moment to rest and catch his breath as the others tried to offer petty words of encouragement. No one had much anything that was inspiring, but the simple sound of the familiar voices seemed to help calm him a little.

The moment had to pass, however, as the procedure had to come underway. Geoff reached behind him, grabbing an almost full, clear bottle and passing it to Jack. The make-shift medic took a hold of the lid, the seal already broken, and opened it with an ominous pop. Michael tightened his grip, the others following suit, and Ray’s hands moved to just hold Gavin’s face as he tensed up in preparation of what was to come. Unfortunately, no liquid encouragement could be offered. To be caught inhibited in the world’s current condition meant certain death.

Not wanting to draw out the suspense, Jack tipped the bottle and poured the liquid onto the wound. Each man found themselves fighting against the strength of the injured as he let out a hysterical, half-broken screech, and Michael had hard to the leg so as not to get kicked in the face. He felt for Gavin, wishing he could take the pain away but knowing that this was the best they could do for his situation. The screech was echoed by a second, shorter one. A mixture of groaning and whining followed as pain-filled tears streaked down Gavin’s cheeks. Michael realized, a bit randomly, that this was the first time that he had ever seen his boy cry.

Gavin’s attempts at movement slowed and his volume lowered as Ray bent and whispered silly yet comforting words in his ears. He even managed to get a snort out as he went about catching his breath.

As much as they wished it to be over, Jack had not finished with the patient yet. He took another clean towel from the pile and lightly patted over the gash once more with it, soaking up the remnants of the vodka. Ray seemed to be causing a fairly good distraction, keep Gavin quiet except for the soft whines, an echo of his earlier vocalizations. Fresh bandages, the last available item located around the six, were quickly re-wrapped around the arm, effectively encasing the gross sight once more.

Everyone finally released their holds, crowding into Gavin’s space and practically carrying him over to where the temporary beds had been set up. The six ended up almost piling together, pushing around their weakened part and applying what comfort they good. Michael wormed his way between the worn out man and Ray. He heard and felt Gavin’s breathing slow before he was out like a light.

The others followed, but at their own pace. The sound of the distant bangs and shuffles of zombies had become an expectation of the night, but that did not make it easy to fall asleep to. Ryan remained sitting as to keep the first watch, and Geoff, Jack and Ray dozed off after a short while.

Michael spent a while just staring at the ceiling, trying to clear his mind. It was getting harder and harder to block out negative thoughts, though he knew they wouldn’t help anything. There was no need to think of what could happen, ‘what ifs’ never helped anything. So he cleared his mind, thinking of nothing but the warm bodies around him and the soft snores he’d grown so familiar with. Michael slowly drifted off to sleep.


	4. Pacific Rim

The idea of of a 6-pilot Jaeger hadn’t taken very well with the International Board. Then someone brought up the fact that humanity was using 300 foot tall robots to fight equally as tall aliens that had emerged from a portal in the Pacific Ocean. Everyone they decided, ‘what the hell’.

 

Teams were organized and the designs started being drawn up. The Conn-Pod would be located in the chest of the Jaeger, which would be thicker and sturdier rather than the usual slim and tall Mark-3s. The larger arms were for structured for defending, yet were strong enough to pack a mighty punch. She’d be loaded with the works: turrets, missile launchers, arm blades and more. Achievement Hunter would be the first of the Mark-4 Jaegers.

 

The pilot recruitment process had been rather interesting to say the least. They started with rangers who already had their co-pilots, hoping to find three pairs who would work well together.

 

Geoffrey Ramsey and Jack Pattillo belonged to Trial Chief, a fairly experienced pair with 5 kills under their belt. Never the best with academics, both had signed up for the Jaeger program with hopes of kicking kaiju ass and defending their world. They’d been brought together during training, bonding through their older ages, common interests and general understanding of each other. The instructors had taken notice and their compatibility scores sealed the deal.

 

Geoff and Jack had entered Trial Chief’s conn-pod as two separate entities. The neural handshake had connected smoothly and held strong. They exited as pair.

 

Michael Jones had been a promising recruit, as long as he could control himself. No one ever expected the cheeky British recruit to be the balance that he needed. The two could pull and push at each other in ways that would tear most others apart, but only seemed to strengthen their bond.

 

The first two neural handshakes hadn’t taken. The third try had to be begged and pleaded for, but no one regretted it. Together they’d held strong and steady through the initial run.

 

Nice Dynamite had gained a strong team behind it’s armor.

 

The two teams were put together in the Kwoon room and the connections were visible. They sparred together, as mix-matched pairs and even a few times as a group. Each man could feel the connection, feel how easily the four of them fit together. Those observing could barely look away, so impressed were they.

 

The four were inseparable for the next few weeks. They ate their meals together, trained with each other. You couldn’t find one of them without the other three next to them.

 

They were moved from their separate two-person bedrooms to a room fit to house six. Three standard issue bunk beds were set to house them and their missing two, once they had been found. Gavin giggled and said it’d be like a slumber party with his favorite boys every night. Geoff had smiled and lightly cuffed the back of his head.

 

As separate pairs they split the bunks, still clinging to what they were used to. That didn’t necessarily mean that they stayed in their own beds throughout the night though.

 

As has been previously stated, they’d grown quite close.

 

The search still went on for the last two members to complete the pilot team. The PPDC had gone through all experienced Rangers, so they now focused on finding a couple of pilot candidates who could fill the positions. Recruits were flown in from each Shatterdome around the world.

 

They found Ray on the first day, almost immediately. Gavin had already gone against the first few prospective students, and Geoff had switched him out. The moment that the young man stepped onto the mat with his staff in hand, all four had payed attention. Geoff and Ray had almost flowed together as they fought, and the former took the match 4-3. By the look on the younger’s face, a soft smile and a hint of amazement, he could feel the connection beginning to form. Michael stepped up, wanting a chance to connect as Geoff had. Gavin then went, then Jack. Ray was close to exhausted by the end, but it was well worth it. Their fifth had been found.

 

He quickly was sucked into the group as though he’d been part of it the entire time.

 

Everyone was eager for the sixth to be found. The PPDC was starting to get pumped up on the project, and the group just wished to find their missing puzzle piece. Each spent most of their thoughts on their first group drift, that first chance to turn six into one.

 

It took them a little longer to find Ryan. A few days had passed, and many recruits had been tried and tested. He was older, like Geoff and Jack, and well trained. He won them over the first time his staff collided with Michael’s. Though they’d only just met him, they treated them like a best friend that had gone missing for a few years. Like Ray, he immediately became part of the whole.

 

The first test run of Achievement Hunter was scheduled for the next day.

 

Each man was set up in their drive suits, dark black to match the brand new Jaeger. A few engineers escorted them to the conn-pod, explaining how the new system worked. Each harness was arranged in a circle in a manner that had no pilot facing the others. Each man had been assigned a different job based on ability and skill. Geoff and Jack would each control a leg, putting them in charge of moving the Jaeger. Michael and Gavin each had an arm and the extensions that came with them. Ryan controlled the weapons, such as the many turrets and missile launchers. Ray would be everyone’s eyes. A strong neural handshake would be needed, or no two parts would be able to synch.

 

The six were latched into the harnesses, sharing looks with each other but saying nothing. What use did words have when their minds were about to become one and the same?

 

LOCCENT began the fifteen second count-down to the neural handshake initiation. Did they really need to make it so dramatic? A voice rang out, reminding them to focus and not to chase the RABIT.

 

4…3…2…1

 

They were Ray, struggling to focus in Fifth Grade English class. What use was this anyway? He was just gonna play video games when he grew up.

 

Jack played with his nephew, thinking the world of him. He only wished that the boy would be able to grow up in a Kaiju-free world.

 

First day of pilot training. Geoff was gonna do this. Finally, he’d have some purpose in his life, a way to avoid just wasting away.

 

Michael smirked as he wiped the blood off of his lips. Served that guy right for thinking that he could hit him and get away with it. Michael didn’t often start fights, but he sure knew how to handle them.

 

Ryan sat in the corner of a crowded lunch room, reading a book and barely picking at his food. At least here no one would really notice him. He didn’t want anyone to see how pathetic he was eating by himself.

 

His room a place of comfort, a way for Gavin to just avoid the rest of the house and those in it. All of his stuff was in that room, and he saw no reason why he’d have need to leave it. It was safe there.

 

All these short wanderings suddenly snapped into place as everyone’s vitals balanced out.

 

“Neural handshake holding strong!’

 

Having six minds pushed around was a confusing thing, but it seemed natural. They were all one person, one Jaeger formed from six. All of them could see what was going on, could feel each robotic limb as though it was their own arm.

In perfect synchronization, they took a confident step forward. Achievement Hunter moved with them.


	5. Zombie Apocalypse: Part 2

As the next day dawned, the routine carried on as normal. Blankets were carefully folded and wrapped before being placed into the designated bags. No spare supplies had been removed from their pockets, leaving the luggage ready to go at a moment’s notice.

They took only what they needed, leaving trash behind to save space. The table covering the door the group had entered from was, after a lengthy struggle, removed. They carefully filed back out onto the street, keeping an eye out for any zombies that may have lingered after the sunrise. If any survivors came upon the building later down the road, the empty wrappers and boarded windows would be a sign that they were not alone.

Gavin had reported this morning that his arm felt a little better. Michael had no way of telling whether it was a true statement or if the other man was just trying to ease their worries. He hoped it was the former.

Geoff took lead, as per usual, and they took off in the same direction as yesterday and the day before and all of the days previous to that. Heading North was the only that they’d come up with. Where was their stopping point? Well, they’d find out when they got there.

They’d only walked the block when they heard it. A piercing, inhuman shriek pierced the quiet city, completely freezing them where they stood. It carried on for a couple moments, then abruptly was cut off. The members of the group shared wide eyes looks. They hadn’t met any other living creatures in weeks. There was only one other thing moving around in this husk of city.

“Run!” Ryan shouted, and so they did.

The six of them sprinted down the road as fast as they could. They needed to find shelter, somewhere to defend themselves. Not all of them could run as well as the fastest, and there was no way they would be leaving anyone behind.

But it was too late.

As they turned a corner, each person skidded to a halt, right as another shriek, this time much closer, filled the air. Their eyes widened as they looked ahead, still gasping for breath.

The horde had arrived.

Around a hundred zombies cluttered the street in front of them. It was too late to run. They’d already been seen.

Everyone quickly wielded their weapons, saying nothing as no time could be spared. Geoff and Ryan let off quick shots with their guns as the zombies ran towards them, taking as many down as they could before they reached melee point. Michael pulled his sturdy axe from where it had hung on a belt loop and gave it a swing as the first zombie came within range.

His aim was true and the zombie fell as its head was cleaved in.

They fought with all of their strength. Ryan and Gavin bludgeoned with their aluminum bats, Jack with his sledgehammer, Geoff a heavy pipe, and Ray with a crowbar. Some of the more mobile zombies had their own weapons, so they had to be on edge. They fought to protect each other and to save themselves. Each one knew how this would most likely end, but no one let that affect their fighting spirit.

Michael had just sliced into the shoulder of what used to be a young woman when he heard it. A wet gasp and the sound of someone falling. His blood ran cold and Michael quickly turned around.

Ryan was laying on the ground, a rusty knife shoved into his throat. The zombies had already begun piling, ripping and tearing at the parts they could reach. His eyes stared blankly and unseeing at the sky.

Michael heard a chorus of shouts and screaming, his own voice a part of it. He ran at the things, hacking into as many as he could, trying to get them away from Ryan. He had to save Ryan. The zombies just kept coming, why was this happening, he needed save Ryan!

A strong hand grabbed his shoulder and yanked him back. Michael had already swung his axe on defensive reflex but another hand stopped his arm before he hit his mark. He barely registered that it was Geoff before he was being pulled straight through the dense crowd of zombies. Decaying hands scratched at him him, and Michael hacked as well as he could with his one available hand. The other was being pulled so strongly and quickly that he stumbled over bodies and skidded several times. What the hell was Geoff thinking?

Michael found himself suddenly jerked (somehow harder than how he was being pulled previously) and he was pushed into a fairly empty alleyway. He grunted as his back hit the hard pavement, his breath being knocked away.

Suddenly Ray was beside him in a similar position, Jack having pulled him through the horde like Geoff had to Michael. The two older men were striking at the zombies that had followed him, acting as a barrier. The majority of the crowd must have been occupied with… Ryan.

“What the hell are you guys doing?” Michael yelled as he and Ray rose quickly to their feet.

“Buying you guys some time!” Geoff replied before he caved a skull in. “Run!”

“Where’s Gavin?” Ray added distressingly.

“Get the fuck out of here!” Jack yelled, turning to them for only a moment.

“Not without you guys!” Michael hefted his axe, stepping forward to join them.

Time almost paused as he saw Geoff and Jack share a look. No… no they wouldn’t.

“NO!” Ray screamed along with him as their remaining family jumped back into the horde, distracting them from the two left in the alleyway.

“Run you fuckers!” That was the last thing they heard from them.

Michael only turned away once Ray’s hand pulled on his shoulder. Then he turned and they ran and they never looked back.


End file.
